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E&E RPCV Board

  • Janet Lee posted an article
    Please welcome new E&E RPCV Board members see more

    Please join us in welcoming four new members to the Ethiopia & Eritrea Returned Peace Corps board: Jaynice Del Rosario; Karen DeWitt; Otto Koester; and Santosh "Tosh" Umesh.

    Together they bring enthusiasm, a wealth of experience, a passion for service, and a diversity of voices. We are looking forward to a world of possibilities.

    Full bios are available on the E&E RPCV Team page https://www.ethiopiaeritrearpcv.org/team

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

    Jaynice Del Rosario

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     



    Karen DeWitt

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Otto Koester


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Santosh "Tosh" Umesh

     August 17, 2020
  • Janet Lee posted an article
    We remember Karen (Preskey) Glover, E&E RPCV Board member see more

    With a heavy heart, the E/E RPCV board would like to share information on the passing of one of our dear board members, Dr. Karen (Preskey) Glover. Karoo, as she was affectionately known, was a much loved member of the first group of PCVs returning to Ethiopia from 2007-2009 and made many friends during her time in Agaro. She continued to remain connected and support the work of Ethiopia PCVs during her time on the E/E RPCV board. Karen put up an incredibly brave fight against stage 4 colon cancer in 2019 but unfortunately passed on November 27th. She is survived by her husband, Josh, and two amazing daughters, Indy and Elliott. You can find more information here: https://boulgerfuneralhome.com/obituaries/karen-glover/…    (Kristen Straw Barredo, Finote Selam 2007-09; Facebook, February 14, 2020)

    Karen joined the E&E RPCVs in early 2015, having recently returned from her service in Ethiopia (she was in the first group of the third wave of volunteers), bringing a contemporary perspective of the experiences of recent volunteers and the networking capability to help the organization thrive.

    We introduced Karen to the community in an April 2015 article in The Herald.  As part of the first group of Peace Corps Volunteers to re-enter Ethiopia after a 10-year absence, Karen was assigned to the Agaro Health Center to work on HIV/AIDS related care and prevention activities with the Health Office.  Her contributions to the Agaro are extensive, including organizing meetings to analyze HIV data to assess the community’s health needs.  She integrated into the community to such an extent that she was able to help write the Peace Corps/Ethiopia Amharic and Afan Oromo language training manuals.

    Karen initiated a Mothers Support Group (MSG) for mothers living with HIV to improve prevention of mother-to-child transmission services. She wrote and received a Peace Corps grant to train two health care providers as site coordinators and five HIV positive women as peer educators. As the first Peace Corps/Ethiopia Volunteer to start an MSG, she outlined the process to help more Volunteers start Mother Support Groups.

    Karen collaborated with the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control on the Global Polio Eradication effort in September 2008 and April 2009. She monitored and evaluated vaccination teams and supervisors in Agaro and in other towns within the zone and conducted rapid convenience surveys to estimate percent coverage. Karen participated in two Operation Smile missions in Jimma, Oromiya to provide surgeries for people with cleft lips and palettes by coordinating efforts in Agaro to find potential patients and encouraging other Volunteers to do the same. During the mission, she translated between English, Afan Oromo, and Amharic for the nurses and surgeons. Karen corresponded with two elementary classrooms and a middle school class in the United States throughout her service to expose them to other countries and cultures.

    Her impact on the community of Agaro and Peace Corps Ethiopia was significant and we were honored to have her join the board.  Despite being enrolled full time in graduate school in a doctoral program in biotechnology at North Dakota State University, she was an active member of the board contributing to major decisions enthusiastically and promptly.

    Karen shared her love for Ethiopia and gave a hint of all her many accomplishments in an article for The Herald entitled “Mothers’ Support Group for women with HIV/AIDS.”  The article was spurred by the discovery of an Ethiopian restaurant in Fargo, ND, of all places.  It brought back the fact that it had been five years since she left Ethiopia and how homesick she was for her adopted country. 

    She relates that her experiences were different from many volunteers in the past in that she was not assigned to teach in a school but had to develop projects on her own.  And that she did, quite successfully in fact. Take the time and reminisce with Karen whose life was cut short way before her time.

    Karen, you were a bright shining light on the board.  We are grateful for your service.

  • Janet Lee posted an article
    Board response to the website launch and next steps see more

    On behalf of the Board of the Ethiopia and Eritrea Returned Peace Corps Volunteers we would like to reflect on the launch of our new web site.  When the launch occurred, we did not appropriately consider the timely and important issues confronting our nation.  We failed to understand the impact the launch would have on many RPCVs, particularly persons of color.  We deeply regret the pain and misunderstanding we caused and appreciate the feedback we received from members highlighting critical issues of inclusion that we have needed to address for many years.

    The Board would like to express our strong solidarity with the movement for Black lives.  We are mindful that the second goal of the Peace Corps is to allow Americans to learn about other peoples of the world, their cultures, customs, traditions, and social constructs.  As we continue to expand our understanding of other lands and peoples, we remain committed to the value of respect for different races, religions, and cultures.  Individually and as an organization, we also endeavor to honor the Peace Corps’ third goal to bring these lessons back to the United States and promote among our family, friends, and all fellow citizens understanding and respect.

    In recent months, the board has been in transition, and we have been reviewing our policies and procedures to ensure our group remains relevant for RPCVs who served when the program started in 1962 up to now. In our efforts to update the web site, we spent years digitalizing the history of this organization, reviewing tax records, and organizing membership databases. In the final steps of this endeavor, we missed the opportunity to acknowledge the challenges—and celebrate the strong resistance to injustice—that our community has experienced in recent weeks.

    Diversifying our board and overall membership is a top priority for E/E RPCVs.  If you are interested in becoming an active participant in the work of E/E RPCV, joining the Board, or nominating a friend or colleague to join the board, please contact us at EthiopiaEritreaRPCVs@gmail.com

    Thank you again for reminding us of the importance of the critical issues of justice and diversity and helping us understand our obligation to support them in word and deed.   These conversations, followed by substantive action, will make this a better organization that fully realizes its mission.